Monthly Archives: June 2011

General David Petraeus wants congressional guidelines on how far one can proceed with “enhanced interrogation” methods if the suspect has information about a nuclear device set to go off any minute in some part of the United States. After all, on the TV show, 24, this was the weekly conundrum. Of course, we have yet to come across the famous time-sensitive situation, but there is always a first time. Sorry, General Petraeus, you are posing the wrong question. The correct question is: do we have evidence that torture works in such situations? The US was involved during World War II with fighting terrorists in Germany and Japan who were as fanatical or even more fanatical than so called Muslim terrorists who some believe must be tortured. There is no evidence from WWII that torture resulted in more information that normal interrogation procedures.

The main problem concerning “time-sensitive situations” is what happens if the person lies? Would any interrogator trust a man being tortured to tell the truth since his only concern is to end the torture?

It is quite clear that Libyan rebels do not want Muammar Gaddafi to have a role in the future of their country. We believe rebels have failed to explore other employment opportunities for the Libyan leader. Examine his qualifications:

1. He enjoys ranting and raving about spies and enemies in his nation.

2. He loves himself and will talk about himself for hours.

3. He presents an image of a fighter who stands up for the truth.

4. He regards himself as the only true patriot in his nation.

5. It does not bother him if Libyans are dying due to lack of food or medical care.

6. He is the wealthiest person in Libya and regards protection of his wealth as critical to the country’s survival.

7. He regards Barack Obama as a foreigner seeking to destroy his nation.

8. He has no concern over driving his nation into bankruptcy.

9. He has never shown his birth certificate to anyone.

10. Making money and living well are his highest interests.

This list fits exactly the qualities desired in a presidential candidate for the Republican party. HOW ABOUT MUAMMAR GADDAFI AS REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT IN 2012??

Carlo Strenger, writing in Haaretz noted he now constantly encounters audiences of Jews in Europe who are bewildered by the government of Israel and lack an ability to connect with right wing racist practices of the Netanyahu/Avigdor Lieberman perspective on the world. According to Strenger, “Israel has had a government that so blatantly violates the core values of a democracy. Never has a Knesset passed laws that are so radically racist as the current one.” Few Jews outside of Israel can relate to Orthodox Rabbis who control conversion as well as laws of marriage. Given that nearly half marriages in America by Jews are with a spouse of another religion, the current Orthodox view of marriage, in effect, robs thousands of young American Jews of the right to declare they are Jews. The same holds true in most European nations containing a Jewish population. We are witnessing the divide between Netanyahu’s Israel and the outside Jewish world. Leaders in America who claim to represent American Jews certainly do not represent Jews who married Christian women and are unable to have their children be classified as Jewish.

If the people of Israel continue their current anti-Muslim laws and practices they eventually will awake one morning to discover, not only is their nation, despised and isolated from the world, but few Jews in Europe or America have any understanding of their views on life.

Barack Obama must know the old song which begins, “did you ever get the feeling that you want to go, stay, go…”? He announced to the American public a plan calling for withdrawal of about 23,000 troops over the coming 12 months only to run into a storm of criticism from Republicans and Democrats who want greater reductions in the number of troops in that far away land. Even as key Republican presidential candidates demanded more troops coming home, Rep. Buck McKeon, chair of the House Armed Services Committee complained the Obama withdrawal plan “will significantly undermine” the program to transfer responsibility for security to Afghan forces. And, Admiral Mike Mullen, chair of the Joint Chiefs expressed his displeasure at the proposal. “More force for more troops is without doubt, the safer course. No commander ever wants to sacrifice fighting power in the middle of a war.”

Let me get this straight, Admiral Mullen. We are in the “middle of a war.” The war began TEN YEARS AGO and we are in the MIDDLE OF A WAR! In other words, we need ten more years in Afghanistan to get to the end of the war!

Sarah Palin is upset. Some people claim she has abandoned the trip across America because it has not attracted sufficient attention. I don’t know how this idea has emerged, I personally know two bears and three deer who await expectantly the arrival of their favorite butcher. How can anyone –other than Communist Liberals– utter such false words about a fighting American woman? Sara wants to make clear that she is not a quitter and intends to kill at least five bears and skin two deer to prove the point. OK, OK, so she left the job as governor of Alaska, but that was not quitting. It was simply sound economic policy since she could make twenty times as much money NOT being a governor of a state far off in some frozen area of the country. Sarah believes in FREE ENTERPRISE and if she turned her back on millions that would simply aid forces of GOVERNMENT CONTROL who do not want the wealthy to be wealthy. After all, this country was founded by the wealthy, it exists for the wealthy and any intelligent poor person knows the wealthier become the wealthy, the better life if for those who are poor.

So, you LIBERALS, quit picking on Sarah. The day one of you effeminate LIBERALS can skin a deer as fast as Sarah is the day she will quit, but not until that moment. So there!

Over half a century ago, Muhammad Ali Jinnah was responsible for creation of the nation of Pakistan. Jinnah was an English educated man who desired to create a Muslim nation based on principle of democracy and equality for all people. His was not the vision of children chanting the Koran in a madrassa, but boys and girls studying science and math and learning about the history and cultures of lands. Sayeed Warsi, a leading Muslim in the British Conservative party, is sick and tired of right wing Muslim fundamentalists claiming their interpretation of the Koran is based on reality. In a recent speech to Pakistan women, Warsi posed a basic question: “why is it today you’ve been denied the rights that your faith gave to you 1,400 years ago?” I hate to inform religious leaders of Saudi Arabia or Pakistan, but women were actively involved in creation of their religion, and-they rode donkeys and camels!

A few months ago, Shahbaz Bhatti, the only Christian member of the Pakistan government was killed by an assassin because he opposed blasphemy laws that denied equal rights to Christians. Hundreds of so-called Pakistan lawyers hailed the killer as a great man. Who are these creatures of the night? How dare a lawyer support the murderer rather than the victim?

There is turmoil in Greece, thousands in the streets burning and rioting and shouting demands for an end to austerity. The European Union demands that Greece impose higher taxes, cut expenses and get their books balanced. As part of this austerity process, Greece will be selling off about $50 billion worth of property to those who desire to own a bit of Greece. We suggest the Greek government has not gone far enough. Why not take the next logical step and sell the country of Greece to the highest bidder? After all, Billy Gates and Warren Buffet could pony up at least a $100 billion which should get them a nice hunk of the country. Billy has a strong desire to help people, and most of his energies are focused on poverty areas of the world. How about purchasing an old established European nation and use technology skills to transform it into a high class society?

First, Billy buys Greece, next Billy purchases the USA and we can all look forward to national health insurance and a much healthier political life.

The Justice and Development Party which governs Turkey has a solid majority in Parliament and Prime Minister Recep Erdogan has established himself as a force in the Middle East. But, for some reason, this government is determined to squash the press. Nedim Sener, was among a group of journalists who were arrested and charged with bogus crimes such as plotting to overthrow the government. According to Sener, “they have decided to destroy journalists like us and it looks like this process will continue.” He claimed that two years ago a fake email was sent to him which talked about a “secret mission” and obviously was a plant by the police. Sener and another journalist were arrested Sunday and charged with being part of a plot.

During questioning by a prosecutor he was even asked about a question he posed to a police chief in 2007. The strangest comment from the public prosecutor was, “during a phone conversation with your wife, you said, “if I had known what was going to happen to me we would not have gotten you heart surgery.” The prosecutor went on to claim the wife had heart surgery to prevent legal action against him!!

The famous Ergenekon case arose in 2007 when grenades were found in the house of a retired noncommissioned officer. Supposedly, the grenades were to be used during a revolution against the government of Turkey. Sounds like a bunch of bullshit.